President Obama came to Cleveland Wednesday, where he made his first speech before the City Club. While the Commander in Chief talked up his economic legacy and blasted the budget plans of the GOP, he followed the City Club tradition of taking questions from the audience.

When Mr. Obama took the mic and worked the stage, dozens of hands shot up, from audience members eager to catch the president’s attention. He only had one ground rule…

“I’m gonna go boy-girl, boy-girl…” he joked, as the crowd laughed.

But the tone got serious quick, as one woman – Colleen Connor of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland— asked the president about ensuring court-appointed lawyers in civil cases, to make sure people – including those dealing with foreclosures –have access to legal counsel. Obama said his administration has worked hard to address the issue, but….

“This was a target of slashed budgets early in the previous administration, we have not fully recovered. And with the existing Congress it’s unlikely that we get the bump-up that we need.”

Obama added that law firms could possibly assist, by providing young, eager lawyers. And he said a more streamlined court process could help, without subjecting people to lengthy cases in order to resolve disputes faster.

Helen Sheehan got away with asking the president two questions…

“First, who’s in your bracket?” asked Sheehan, obviously with March Madness on the mind.

“I wasn’t that creative,” laughed Obama. “I think Kentucky is going to take it. But, you know, I haven’t won since my first year in office. Clearly, I’m not spending as much time watching college basketball as I once did.”

Sheehan then asked Obama what has surprised him most since taking office. The president said battling Congress on issues that shouldn’t be controversial…ranging from funding infrastructure to making sure the Department of Homeland Security remains operational, even as the same lawmakers threatening its funding are also up in arms about immigration control.

“That you would then threaten to not fund the very department that is responsible for securing our borders because you’re mad that our borders are not secured—“

The City Club crowd erupted into laughter, then applause. President Obama resumed his answer.

“—that’s not a good way of doing business. So, uhm….that surprises me a little bit.”

A young student from the Hawken School named Lucy asked Mr. Obama why he thought the Republicans were always pushing tax cuts, and nothing else. The president said he felt he could understand the GOP’s philosophy of less government and free market capitalism, but added what may make sense on paper may not so much in real life.

“Our history tells us that if there’s a company that’s out there making a lot of money but also pouring a bunch of pollution into the water, and it catches on fire—and suddenly people can’t fish there anymore, and people are getting sick, that it makes sense for us to have some regulations that say, you know what, you can make your products, you can make a profit, that’s great, but you’re kind of messing things up and so we’re going to say you can’t just dump your pollution in the water.”

And 7th grader Laura Winfrey asked Mr. Obama what advice he’d give himself on the first day of his two terms.

“I would have told myself to anticipate that because the recession was so bad and so tough for so many people, that I was going to have to be more aggressive in explaining to the public how long it was going to take for the recovery to take place.”

The City Club audience overall was friendly to President Obama. No one brought up heated local issues, such as the police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice last fall, the Justice Department probe into the Cleveland Police Department’s, or even Ohio Congressman and House Speaker John Boehner’s role as a foil to the president’s initiatives.

Many in the crowd basked in Obama’s remarks, as if remembering the spirit of hope that propelled him into office nearly eight years ago, with Ohio’s help.

The attorney for an Ohio terrorism plot suspect is opposing a government motion to cut back his jail phone access as overbroad and based on hypothetical risks.

Prosecutors filed their motion last week in the case of Christopher Lee Cornell, citing security concerns after the 20-year-old suburban Cincinnati man called WXIX-TV. He was recorded saying if he hadn’t been arrested Jan. 14, he would have gone to Washington and put a gun to President Barack Obama’s head and carried out other attacks.

His attorney says Cornell is being kept in isolation and taking away phone access could compromise his defense and cause psychological harm.

Some immigrant families in Central Ohio are celebrating the President’s executive order, but hoping Congress will do more in the New Year. 23 year old Maria Sanchez is a Columbus State college student who lives with her undocumented mother and 3 siblings.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/11/25/columbus-college-student-grateful-immigration-changes-1/feed/0immigration,obama,undocumentedSome immigrant families in Central Ohio are celebrating the President's executive order, but hoping Congress will do more in the New Year.Some immigrant families in Central Ohio are celebrating the President's executive order, but hoping Congress will do more in the New Year.WOSU Newsno4:22Obama’s Approval Rating Falling In Ohiohttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/07/31/obamas-approval-rating-falling-ohio/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/07/31/obamas-approval-rating-falling-ohio/#commentsThu, 31 Jul 2014 11:59:14 +0000The Associated Presshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=75887

A new poll by Quinnipiac University says Obama's approval rating in Ohio has slipped to 36 percent. The same survey in May gave him a 39-percent approval rating.

President Obama said Tuesday that his administration is creating two new hubs that will link manufacturers with several research universities; one of them Ohio State. The OSU founded technology research organization EWI will also participate.

President Obama said Tuesday that his administration is creating two new hubs that will link manufacturers with several research universities; one of them Ohio State. Obama says one of the two new consortiums will focus on modern lightweight metals manufacturing.

â€œImagine our workers manufacturing lightweight materials that used to be science fiction; a sheet of metal thatâ€™s thinner than paper but as strong as steel,â€ Obama said.

Ohio State is one of several universities that will collaborate over a multi-year period with EWI, a non-profit engineering and technology research organization founded 30 years ago in Columbus by OSU. Obama says he wants to re- capture U.S. preeminence in high-tech manufacturing.

â€œI donâ€™t want the next big job-creating discovery to come from Germany or China or Japan. I want it to be made here in America,â€ Obama said.

The Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation Institute would be funded by a $70 million federal commitment with more funding coming from state and other government entities. Obama says putting America at the forefront of manufacturing will ensure the creation of well-paying domestic jobs.

â€œKeeping America at the cutting edge of technology and innovation is what is going to ensure a steady stream of good jobs into the 21st Century,â€ Obama said.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/02/26/obama-ohio-state-to-help-research-lightweight-metals-creation/feed/0EWI,lightweight metals,obama,Ohio State UniversityPresident Obama said Tuesday that his administration is creating two new hubs that will link manufacturers with several research universities; one of them Ohio State. The OSU founded technology research organization EWI will also participate.President Obama said Tuesday that his administration is creating two new hubs that will link manufacturers with several research universities; one of them Ohio State. The OSU founded technology research organization EWI will also participate.WOSU Newsno1:12Obama Says Administration “Fumbled” Healthcare Rollouthttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2013/11/14/obama-to-pitch-economic-agenda-at-ohio-steel-plant/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2013/11/14/obama-to-pitch-economic-agenda-at-ohio-steel-plant/#commentsThu, 14 Nov 2013 20:34:04 +0000The Associated Presshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=61727

President Barack Obama admitted Thursday that his administration "fumbled" the rollout of his new health care law. Still, speaking at a Cleveland steel plant, he vowed to keep fighting attempts to scrap the whole program.

His personal and political credibility on the line, President Barack Obama reversed course Thursday and said millions of Americans should be allowed to renew individual coverage plans now ticketed for cancellation under the health care law that is likely to be at the heart of the 2014 elections.

The immediate impact on consumers was unclear, though both industry spokesmen and state insurance commissioners swiftly warned that higher prices could result from the president’s rapid turnaround.

Under pressure from consumers as well as congressional Democrats, Obama said the administration no longer would require insurance companies to jettison current individual and small group plans that fall short of the minimum coverage standards under the law, effectively shifting responsibility for cancellations to the industry itself. The change would be good for just one year, though senior administration officials said it could be extended if problems persist.

Speaking of the millions of people whose coverage is being scrapped, Obama said, “What we want to do is to be able to say to these folks, you know what, the Affordable Care Act is not going to be the reason why insurers have to cancel your plan.”

Obama spoke at a news conference where he repeatedly took responsibility for the woeful rollout of the health care program known by his name. Officials disclosed on Wednesday that fewer than 27,000 enrollments were completed in 36 states in the first month of operations for http://www.healthcare.gov.

Including enrollment of more than 79,000 in the 14 states with their own websites, the nationwide number was 106,000 for October sign-ups. But that is still far fewer than expected and a mere fraction of the cancellation notices that have gone out because of the law â€” more than 4.2 million, according to an Associated Press survey.

Obama’s approval ratings in polls are also ebbing, and he readily conceded that after recent events, the public can legitimately “expect me to have to win back some credibility on this health care law in particular and on a whole range of these issues in general.”

The president also sought to shelter from political fallout any congressional Democrats who echoed the promise he repeated often when the legislation was under consideration in Congress â€” that anyone who liked his or her coverage would be able to keep it. “They were entirely sincere about it,” he said of the lawmakers. “It’s not on them, it’s on us.”

Shortly after Obama spoke, the major industry trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, warned in a statement that prices might rise as a result of his new policy. “Changing the rules after health plans have already met the requirements of the law could destabilize the market and result in higher premiums for consumers,” it said.

A few hours later, the head of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners added a fresh word of caution. Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, president of the group, said Obama’s proposal could lead to higher premiums and market disruptions next year and beyond.

“In addition, it is unclear how, as a practical matter, the changes proposed today by the president can be put into effect. In many states, cancellation notices have already gone out to policyholders and rates and plans have already been approved for 2014,” he added.

Nor was it clear how different states would react to the administration request to change the rules.

In California, where more than 1.1 million cancellations have been sent out, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones called on insurers to extend the policies being scrapped.

But in Washington, his counterpart, Mike Kreidler, said he won’t allow that to happen. “I have serious concerns about how President Obama’s proposal would be implemented and more significantly, its potential impact on the overall stability of our health insurance market,” he said in a statement.

Until the president made his announcement, the administration had been assuming that individuals currently covered by plans marked for cancellation would switch to alternatives offered in government-established exchanges. If so, they would be joining millions of others who have lacked insurance in the past.

The people with current individual coverage are a known risk to insurers. But those without generally have had less access to medical services, and are most costly to care for. The theory has been that moving people with current coverage into the new markets would help stabilize premiums.

Only last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told a Senate panel she doubted that retroactively permitting insurers to sell canceled policies after all “can work very well since companies are now in the market with an array of new plans. Many have actually added consumer protections in the last three-and-a-half years.”

It will now be up to individual companies to decide which plans remain for sale, subject to the approval of state insurance commissioners.

Under Obama’s new policy, insurance companies will be required to inform consumers who want to keep canceled plans about the protections that are not included under those plans. Customers will also be notified that new options are available offering more coverage and in some cases, tax credits to cover higher premiums.

Whatever the impact on consumers, Obama’s announcement did nothing to quell Republican opposition to the overhaul they opposed, sought to have overturned at the Supreme Court and have voted numerous times to repeal.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said it was time to scrap the law “once and for all.” He said, “You can’t fix this government-run health care plan called Obamacare. It’s just not fixable.”

Even so, the House is expected to vote as scheduled on Friday on GOP-drafted legislation to permit insurance companies to sell existing individual coverage plans to current customers as well as newcomers. That is a step further than Obama went, and the White House said late Thursday the president would veto the measure.

Approval in the GOP-controlled House is expected. Yet Obama’s statement, coupled with an as-yet-undisclosed Democratic alternative, could well hold Democratic defections to a minimum.

Looking forward, Democrats said “Obamacare” will still turn out to be a political winner.

“Voters, particularly in swing districts, would prefer a Democrat who promises to fix and improve the Affordable Care act to a Republican who is obsessed with repealing and gutting it,” said Rep. Steve Israel of New York, who heads the party’s campaign committee.

The president faced a different set of concerns in the Senate, where several incumbents seeking new terms in swing states have been seeking a vote on legislation to require insurers to offer renewals to existing individual plans for 2014 and indefinitely into the future.

The bill’s principal author, Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, said Obama’s announcement was “a great first step,” yet she added, “We will probably need legislation to make it stick.”

Said Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, “If we need to do more, we will.”

But others were not so eager to put the issue on the floor of the Senate.

Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, a member of the leadership, said there was “no need for a legislative fix.” Instead, he said Congress and the administration should continue improving the implementation, and “redouble our efforts highlighting and explaining what this historic law will mean for 40 million Americans without insurance.”

In his 12th trip to the Buckeye State this year, President Obama told about 4,500 people at Schiller that heâ€™d raise taxes on upper income Americans and would use money saved from fighting wars to reduce the national debt. He said Republicans want to go back to the same economic plan that he said plunged the nation into a recession.

“They were happy to talk about all of the things that are wrong with America but they donâ€™t want to talk about how theyâ€™d make it right. They want your vote but they donâ€™t want you to know their plan,” President Obama said.

Obama said heâ€™s already cut taxes, saving the average American family about $3,600 a year. And he said itâ€™s time that some Americans pay a little more right now.

I want to make sure we are asking the wealthiest households to pay slightly higher tax on incomes over 250,000 dollars, the same rate that we had when Bill Clinton was President, when our economy was creating 23 million new jobs, when we had the biggest surplus in history and we had a bunch of millionaires to boot.

Obama said the Republican plan promises lower taxes, increased defense spending, and deficit reduction, but he said it doesnâ€™t add up.

“Iâ€™m telling you, you cannot make it work. You cannot cross the Tâ€™s and dot the Iâ€™s on this plan. And Columbus is a town where youâ€™ve got to dot the I.”

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wasnâ€™t in Ohio to counter President Obamaâ€™s back-to-back visits to Cincinnati and Columbus. Instead, the Romney campaign sent a surrogate â€“ a US Senator whoâ€™d been reportedly at the top of Romneyâ€™s vice presidential list and a Tea Party favorite.

About three hundred people gathered on the Statehouse lawn to hear Floridaâ€™s Marco Rubio.

â€œThe President will be here in a few minutes â€“ not here, a few blocks away I guess. And heâ€™s finally getting around to doing something about currency manipulation in China. Elections are funny like that. They get people to do stuff they should have done three and a half years ago.â€

And Rubio said another thing Obama should have done years ago is deal with the national debt. Rubio said heâ€™s not only not dealt with the debt as he promised, but that heâ€™s made it worse. And he countered Mr. Obamaâ€™s message of building on what his administration has done by saying what the president has built is a huge mountain of debt.

If we stay on the track heâ€™s placed us on â€“ these are his numbers, not mine. These are his ideas, not the ideas Iâ€™m making up for him. The president has no â€“ if we stay on the raod heâ€™s outlined for us now, the debt will grow to levels no people have ever seen. And the debt is just part of the problem. You know whatâ€™s just as bad as the debt â€“ the interest on the debt.

Rubio talked up the concerns of college graduates having trouble finding work and workers nearing retirement watching their savings dwindle â€“ and noted that things may never be the same again â€“ but said â€“ quoting here â€œthey can actually be better than theyâ€™ve ever been.”

But Rubio said thatâ€™s only possible by returning to what he called the principles that made Americans prosperous and different – limited government and free enterprise, which he said Obama doesnâ€™t understand and Romney would embrace.

President Obama’s campaign has announced details on his Monday rally in Columbus.

Mr. Obama will rally supporters in Schiller Park in German Village. Gates open at 2 p.m. Admission is free, but attendants need a ticket. Tickets can be picked up on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning this afternoon at 5 p.m. at the following campaign offices:

Nearly 200 Ohio delegates to the Democratic National Convention are making their way home today from North Carolina. They got a send-off last night with an acceptance speech by President Obama.

There have been two common call and response chants among the Ohio delegation in Charlotte. The first one of course is OH IO. And the second one, used by delegates from all the states, is â€œFired Up â€“ Ready To Go.â€ And thatâ€™s what Ohio Democrats were feeling after four or five very long days wrapped up with the final acceptance speech by their flag bearer Barack Obama. The President had one reference to the Buckeye state last night and got the Ohio section on their feet.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/09/07/ohio-democrats-ready-for-obamas-keynote-address/feed/0Barack Obama,Campaign 2012,charlotte,democratic national convention,DNC,obama,ohio,president,president obamaNearly 200 Ohio delegates to the Democratic National Convention are making their way home today from North Carolina. They got a send-off last night with an acceptance speech by President Obama.Nearly 200 Ohio delegates to the Democratic National Convention are making their way home today from North Carolina. They got a send-off last night with an acceptance speech by President Obama.WOSU Newsno3:25